U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Pharr, Texas, have prevented cocaine worth nearly $3 million from being smuggled into the country, the agency exclusively told The Epoch Times.
This latest seizure from July 15 adds to a whopping amount of illegal drugs being seized by CBP at the border and throughout the country this fiscal year, which runs from October to September, far surpassing amounts from previous years to date.
The agency said officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a tractor trailer from Reynosa, Mexico, that was referred for a secondary inspection.
A closer look at the trailer revealed anomalies inside.
Agents extracted a total of 79 packages of cocaine concealed within the shipment, weighing 208.33 pounds, which was listed on the manifest as bottled beverages, according to CBP. The illegal drugs were worth a total of $2.78 million.
Officers with the Office of Field Operations, a subagency to the CBP, seized the narcotics and vehicle.
Homeland Security Investigations launched a criminal probe.
“This successful interception highlights the effectiveness of our layered enforcement strategy,” Carlos Rodriguez, port director for the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry, said. “Through the combination of advanced technology, and the keen instincts of our frontline personnel, we continue to identify and dismantle smuggling attempts.”
“When you look at the point of where we are now compared to the course we were on previously, we are increasing our numbers and seizures,” Office of Field Operations Director Sidney Aki, for the San Diego Sector of the border, said.
Under the Biden administration, CBP leaders said their agents were saddled with humanitarian efforts and administrative work processing illegal immigrants. Now, under Trump, CBP has been refocused to prioritize security.
“Without having four or five hundred people in detention making an asylum claim, I’m going to take those officers and say, ‘I don’t need you to process asylum claims, I need you out there looking for dope, looking for people smuggling, looking for those agriculture violations,’” Mariza Marin, port director at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, told The Epoch Times.
At the San Ysidro Port of Entry alone, Marin said, she moved about 180 officers from strictly administrative work to enforcement and inspection once Trump took office.
Aki said, “That’s huge; 180 individuals is huge.”
CBP data on drug seizure amounts reflect the impact of this shift.
As of the latest information available, from October to June this fiscal year, the agency has seized 648,000 pounds of illegal narcotics. The entire last fiscal year yielded 583,000 pounds.
Under the Biden administration, drug seizure totals for fiscal years 2024 and 2023 were 573,000 pounds and 549,000 pounds, respectively.
Not only are drug seizure amounts far surpassing those of previous years, but CBP has also delivered 14 straight months of zero releases at the border.
Daily apprehensions are also down by 94 percent from the previous administration.
